‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ Trailers Promises an Exciting Samurai Adventure From LAIKA

LAIKA has been steadily putting out some of the most gorgeous and unique animated films of the past few years with films like The Boxtrolls and ParaNorman helping to cement them as a premiere animation studio in Hollywood. Continuing their trend of genre-defying projects too, the studio is beginning the promotional campaign for their latest project with, Kubo and the Two Strings.

Using the same combination of CGI and stop-motion animation that LAIKA has become known for, Kubo also features an all-star voice cast including Rooney Mara, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, George Takei, Ralph Fiennes and more. The film promises to be a seafaring, samurai adventure set in an ancient and mythical japan, and unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

LAIKA and Focus Features have officially unveiled the film’s teaser trailer earlier today as well. Check it out below:

Here’s the film’s official synopsis as well:

“Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of “Game of Thrones”) ekes out a humble living, telling fantastical stories to the people of his seaside town. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a mythical spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara), to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and his heroic destiny.”

Coming from rookie director Travis Knight, the animation looks predictably breathtaking and keeps in line with the studio’s high-quality standards. While the teaser doesn’t offer much in terms of story or characters, some of the environments and the synopsis make it sound like Kubo and the Two Strings could be LAIKA’s most ambitious film yet, in terms of scale and scope alone.

Where Coraline was like a dark fairytale, ParaNorman was a ghost story love letter to cheesy horror films, and The Boxtrolls was fantasy farce, Kubo and the Two Strings looks to be yet another step into uncharted territory for the reliable animation studio. I don’t know about you too, but I’m more than willing to follow their lead with this one.

Kubo and the Two Strings is set to hit theatres on August 19th, 2016.

Make sure to keep checking back for more updates — right here on GeekNation.